CCPU (Child Care Providers UNITED)

Seiu 49; California; Remote; USD 117,000 - 143,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Family medical, dental, vision and 401

Language differential pay

Retirement plan

Professional development

Job summary

Child Care Providers United (CCPU) is seeking a strategic, hands-on Director of Communications and Special Projects to lead statewide internal and external communications and advance high-priority initiatives that support the union's mission. This senior leader will serve on the leadership team and help shape campaigns that elevate provider voices and drive lasting change.

The ideal candidate will bring strong strategy, campaign leadership, project management, and execution skills, with a

Qualifications

• Seven or more years of experience in communications, campaign strategy, organizing, or a related field.
• Demonstrated success leading integrated communications for campaigns.
• Deep knowledge of union organizing and collective bargaining.
• Strong writing, editing, messaging, media relations, and storytelling skills.
• Experience managing complex projects, competing priorities, budgets, staff or collaborators, and consultants or vendors.
• Experience working across multilingual or multicultural settings.
• Ability to develop strategy while also executing deliverables.
• Commitment to empowering California's family child care providers and advancing racial, gender, and economic justice.

Responsibilities

• Lead statewide communications strategy in support of bargaining, organizing, legislative campaigns, and member engagement.
• Coordinate messaging across digital, earned, paid, and internal channels with local partners.
• Oversee content planning and production for website, email, text messages, newsletters, social media, and press materials.
• Pursue earned media opportunities; build media relationships; prepare press materials and support spokespeople.
• Maintain brand and voice reflecting multilingual and multicultural workforce.
• Lead high-priority special projects and integrated campaigns with cross-functional teams.
• Coordinate affiliate communications activities and support campaign events and trainings.
• Mentor and develop communicators and member leaders.
• Strengthen communications data systems and workflows for audience segmentation.
• Represent CCPU with members, allies, policymakers, media, and external partners.
• Produce written and visual content and coordinate photography or videography.

Skills

Strategic communications

Campaign leadership

Project management

Stakeholder engagement

Writing & storytelling

Team mentoring

Multilingual communications

Education

Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience

Job description

Director of Communications and Special Projects

Based in California
(remote)

Position Overview
Child Care Providers United (CCPU) is seeking a strategic, hands-on Director of Communications and Special Projects to lead statewide internal and external communications and advance high-priority initiatives that support the union's mission. Reporting directly to the Executive Director, this senior leader will serve on CCPU's leadership team and help shape communications and campaigns that elevate provider voices and build lasting change.

The Director will work closely with local union communications and field staff, affiliate partners, consultants, vendors, and cross-functional teams to ensure clear, consistent, culturally responsive messaging across CCPU's statewide work. The ideal candidate brings strong communications strategy, campaign leadership, project management, and execution skills, along with a commitment to racial, gender, and economic justice.

Position Responsibilities

• Lead CCPU's statewide communications strategy in support of bargaining, organizing, legislative campaigns, and member engagement.
• Develop and coordinate messaging across digital, earned, paid, and internal communications, ensuring alignment among local union partners and key audiences.
• Manage content planning and production for CCPU's website, email, text messaging, newsletters, social media, press materials, fact sheets, videos, and other communications assets.
• Identify and pursue earned media opportunities; build media relationships; prepare press materials and support provider spokespeople for interviews, events, and campaigns.
• Maintain consistent use of CCPU's brand and organizational voice while ensuring communications reflect the multilingual and multicultural workforce represented by the union.
• Lead complex, high-priority special projects and integrated campaigns in partnership with political, research, field, and other teams; track goals, timelines, budgets, and deliverables.
• Coordinate affiliate communications activities and support campaign events, lobby visits, trainings, conventions, membership outreach, and other large-scale initiatives.
• Oversee consultants, vendors, communications staff, and cross-functional collaborators; mentor and develop communicators and member leaders.
• Strengthen communications data systems and workflows to support member engagement, audience segmentation, and outreach.
• Represent CCPU with members, allies, policymakers, community organizations, media, and other external stakeholders; keep internal and external partners informed and aligned.
• Take a hands-on approach to creating written and visual content and coordinate photography or videography as needed.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Qualifications

• Seven or more years of experience in communications, campaign strategy, organizing, or a related field.
• Demonstrated success leading integrated communications for contract, organizing, legislative, or comparable campaigns.
• Deep knowledge of union organizing and collective bargaining.
• Strong writing, editing, messaging, media relations, and storytelling skills, including experience pitching stories and securing media coverage.
• Experience managing complex projects, competing priorities, budgets, staff or collaborators, and consultants or vendors.
• Experience working collaboratively across departments and organizations and in multilingual or multicultural settings.
• Ability to develop strategy while also executing communications deliverables directly.
• Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience.
• Commitment to empowering California's family child care providers and advancing racial, gender, and economic justice.
• Valid California driver's license, current auto insurance covering business driving, and access to an automobile for business use.

Schedule and Work Requirements
This position may require long and varied work hours, including evenings, weekends, and holidays, to support campaigns, events, and member engagement. Other duties may be assigned as needed.

Salary and Benefits
Salary: $130,000 annually, plus excellent benefits including family medical, dental, vision, and retirement. Language differential pay is available to qualified multilingual speakers.

After an initial phone screening, applicants may be asked to complete an additional phone or written assessment before being invited to a full interview. The position is open until filled; however, acceptance of applications may close at any time.

About Child Care Providers United (CCPU)
CCPU brings together more than 60,000 family child care providers across California to improve the profession and ensure every child has access to quality early learning and care. CCPU is a partnership of SEIU Local 99, SEIU Local 521 and UDW/AFSCME 3930. https://childcareprovidersunited.org/

CCPU is committed to hiring staff who reflect its membership and model the unity and equity it seeks to build. Women, LGBTQIA+ people, people of color, people with disabilities, and immigrants are strongly encouraged to apply. Employees must live in California.